STORRS — Somewhere along the line, DeAndre Daniels heard the opinion that he couldn't play with Georgetown star Otto Porter. It wasn't a completely outrageous claim given Daniels' inconsistency and Porter's season-long heroics.

While Porter came up with the heroics Wednesday night to give No. 7 Georgetown a 79-78 double-overtime victory over the Huskies, Daniels proved he can play with Porter.

The sophomore forward poured in 25 points and added 10 rebounds, giving the Huskies their first double-double of the season. There is no doubt that Daniels played his finest game in a UConn uniform. Unfortunately for him, it came in a heartbreaking loss.

"I feel like I'm good, like I'm one of the top players on the team," Daniels said. "I took it as a challenge to play hard."

Daniels outscored Porter (22 points) and outrebounded him. Along the way, Daniels blocked three shots. At the same time, he played excellent defense on the Georgetown star for most of the night. But it wasn't just about Porter. It was about UConn playing the seventh-ranked team in the country in a thriller.

Without Daniels, UConn would not have been in the position it found itself. That is not a phrase that has been uttered in Daniels' two seasons with the Huskies.

Shabazz Napier provided something just slightly less than his usual performance, hobbling around on a bum right foot he tweaked in the second half. Daniels provided the important stuff UConn needed all night.

"He was excellent," UConn coach Kevin Ollie said. "He played hard and he fought. He took the challenge of Otto Porter and he passed it. The challenge for him is making it not about one game. It has to be about the next three games.

"It was a step up and I hope he keeps going and keeps building."

Helping hand: What Napier and Ryan Boatright have done for UConn this year is obvious. What's not so obvious but deserves mention is what Niels Giffey has done recently.

In the six games prior to Wednesday night, the junior had scored 50 points and pulled down 27 rebounds. They are not eye-popping numbers but given that Giffey has played every position but point guard during that span, it's certainly impressive.

"It's really just my mindset," Giffey said. "I've always had the ability to score. Once in a while, that popped up but I'm trying to stay more consistent with that now. I'm not forcing shots but working for my shot a little more and getting to the foul line. It's a (product) of getting more mature."

Giffey has had to play more in the power forward and center spots because of the absence of countrymen Enosch Wolf. Giffey's minutes haven't increased too much from what they were with Wolf available. It's just that Giffey is making more efficient use of those minutes.

"I put a lot on his table because he's playing pretty much every position but point guard," Ollie said. "He's come a long way. He's just relaxing and understanding his niche. He's just being that glue guy we need him to be. It's good to see."

Doing more: UConn freshman guard Omar Calhoun is on the best scoring stretch of his young career. He entered Wednesday night with a string of six-straight double-figure games. The most recent two came after he jammed his right wrist against Villanova, an injury that is still nagging him.

Just before that game, however, Calhoun started to expand his game after season-long pleading from the coaching staff. Calhoun had at least five rebounds in each of the seven games prior to Wednesday and had a three-game stretch where he grabbed six rebounds in each game. In the first 19 games of the season, Calhoun had more than five rebounds in a game just once and had five rebounds in a game just four times.

Not coincidentally, Calhoun has also become a more complete offensive player of late, picking spots to drive to the basket rather than just play the role of spot-up shooter. And he logged a season-best four assists in Saturday night's victory at DePaul.

Young guys: Georgetown and UConn both put young teams on the court, but the Hoyas have a slight advantage in the youth category. Of the 15 players on Georgetown's roster, 10 are freshmen and sophomores. For the second time in five years, the Hoyas do not have a senior on the roster.

Seven players on UConn's roster are freshmen and sophomores.

The Huskies' lone senior is walk-on Dave Vandal, although the Huskies have a graduate student, R.J. Evans, who is in the final stages of his collegiate career.

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